Author's Note: Hey faithful readers! LoL, hope you like this new chapter.
Chapter 8: Familiar Reveries
Peter is feeling quite awkward in the ladies' boutique. He waits near the door with Charlie, keeping his eyes to the flowered rug. The women that enter look at the boys suspiciously and steer clear of them.
"I cannot believe Mother brought us in here," Charlie whines. "This must be my punishment for calling Evelyn a - " Peter shakes his head warily.
"Don't say it, or the punishment will be far worse," he warns, glancing at a young lady opposite them. She giggles when Peter sees her and he smirks. His eyes return to the floor and he prays that the women will be done soon. Mrs. Malcolm walks out of the dressing room, Evelyn following close behind.
"I am convinced that this is the perfect dress," she proclaims. She steps aside and Peter peers up at the Evelyn. She looks very nice in her white gown and there are pearls sewn into the neckline. He smiles at her, but all Peter can think about is Wendy.
"This reminds me so much of a wedding gown," the girl sighs, indicating the dress. "With Peter in his suit, we look like husband and wife!" She laughs sheepishly, while Charlie opens his mouth in shock and Peter swallows nervously.
"You should learn to hold your tongue, girl," Mrs. Malcolm states. "Change into your regular clothes." Evelyn twists her fiery red hair around her finger and nods obediently. She disappears to the back of the store and Peter shifts uncomfortably. Mrs. Malcolm sticks her chin in the air, eyeing Peter disgracefully. "Your hair is unruly, indeed, Peter. Why don't you go and get it trimmed?"
Peter touches the mass of brown and gold curls. "I prefer it as it is, Mrs. Malcolm. I have had it this way for a long time." Mrs. Malcolm clucks and goes to help Evelyn. Charlie bolts out the door when his mother's back is turned.
"Come on Pete," he beckons. "Do you really want to be stuck here for another hour?" Peter shakes his head and follows his friend from the boutique.
****************************
Michael, Nibs, and Nana walk down the street, pushing past harried pedestrians. London is busy this Saturday afternoon. Nana carries Mrs. Darling's food list in her mouth and Michael tells her not to drop it. He sees the bank that his father works in and remembers getting in trouble for running in with Wendy and John. Wendy was trying to stop the letter carrier from delivering the teacher's note to their father and it ended up in a huge mess. Mr. Darling was not very happy with them.
"Michael, I need the list now," Nibs orders and Michael takes the paper from Nana. He hands it to his brother. "Stay right here with Nana," Nibs tells them. The dog whimpers and Michael leans against the wall, watching the people walking to and from work. He hears a loud laugh echo above the city sounds. It sounds much like Peter Pan's joyous crow and Michael looks around curiously. Nana hears it too because she starts to bark fiercely.
"Nana, stop," Michael commands, but she does not. Instead, Nana takes off into the crowd, leaving Michael behind. Nibs comes out with a bagful of groceries and looks around in confusion.
"Where's Nana?" Nibs asks angrily.
"She ran off! Come on, we have to find her!" Michael replies and they run off in search of their dog. The boys spot Nana on a street corner, growling ominously. She is waiting for a horse-drawn carriage to pass before she crosses to the other side. Michael grabs Nana's collar before she moves and stares across the street. Nibs catches up to him and they become silent.
"Bloody hell..." Nibs whispers. "Is that who I think it is?"
"Yes, it's Pan," Michael answers as they gape at the familiar young man striding down the sidewalk. He is talking to who they assume is his friend. Nana hates Peter with a vengeance. He took the children away, and she could not stop him. She wants to tear his shadow to shreds. She pulls Michael forward and he cries out in surprise.
"No Nana!" Nibs scowls and Peter vanishes into the crowd. "We have to tell the boys, Michael! We have to tell Wendy!"
The boys and dog run home, completely forgetting about the groceries. They scare Mrs. Darling half to death when they bolt in to the house and trip up the stairs.
"Boys what – you are back so early! Where is the food?" she questions.
"We...uh...forgot!" Nibs lies and pushes Michael up to the second floor. Michael darts in to the nursery, screaming "Pan's back!"
"What?" Tootles asks. He is doing his homework near the window and the Twins and Curly are playing pirates.
"Peter Pan! We saw him!" Nibs says, crumpling to the floor. He is trying so hard to catch his breath. The rest of the boys start to laugh.
"Peter doesn't fly in the daytime," Curly guffaws.
"He wasn't flying! He was dressed as a normal person and he looked like he grew up!" Michael yells. The nursery goes into an uproar.
Wendy appears in the doorway, appalled by her brothers' behavior. She folds her arms across her chest and her sky blue dress rustles slightly. She was knitting a pillow cover for Aunt Millicent as a test to see how well she sews, when she heard noises in the nursery. To tell you the truth, she is relieved to be interrupted from her work.
"What is all this commotion?" she demands. Michael turns to her, excitement in his eyes. "What has happened?"
"Nibs and I saw Peter Pan!" he announces. "He was walking near the bank and he did not look like himself."
"How so?" Wendy whispers, pretending to sound interested.
"He's grown up," Nibs says gleefully. "It is very odd because Peter Pan should stay young forever."
"You are not very convincing, Nibs. Why do you play these games with me? Shall I tell Mother about your silly lies?" Wendy advises them.
"He's not lying, Wendy. I heard him crow," Michael persists. All eyes are on the young woman, who is at a loss for words.
"Peter Pan...he is only a story, like Cinderella," Wendy falters.
"What about the acorn and who we saw?" Nibs mutters. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" He is sincere when he says this and Wendy grows annoyed.
"I do not recall any acorn."
"It is Peter's 'kiss'. He gave it to you right here in the nursery. It saved you in Neverland," Tootles adds, closing his mathematics notebook. "It's what Nibs returned to you this morning."
"That was an acorn?!" Wendy sputters. Nibs nods and she backs out of the nursery, shaking her head in disappointment. "I cannot speak about this further. This is nonsense." She goes to her room and closes the door gently. Wendy sits in a chair and struggles to finish the pillow cover. She finds she cannot think straight and she places her work on the floor. "What's the use?" she murmurs and curls up on her bed. Before she knows it, she is fast asleep, dreaming of someone she thought she had forgotten.
~*~*~*~*~Wendy is twelve again, and she is in the nursery. The window is wide open and the bars are gone. The Lost Boys are not there either, except for her two brothers. John and Michael are asleep in their beds, but Wendy is wide-awake. It is so quiet that she can hear her own heart beating quickly. She peeks out from underneath the covers at the window and fresh snow. She throws them off and sits up.
"Please come," she calls and the stars twinkle bright outside. He appears in a blink of an eye at the window. His cunning smile is contagious and Wendy laughs. "You have returned, boy," she says, leaning forward.
"Yes, Wendy-lady, I've come back," he crows as he jumps into the nursery. He perches on the end of the bed and cocks his head at Wendy. She sits cross-legged in front of him and looks into those captivating eyes. They twinkle like the stars above and Wendy touches the acorn around her neck.
"I'd very much like a 'thimble'," she suggests, blushing deeply.
"Like the one you gave me on the Jolly Roger?" he responds, a thoughtful expression on his face. Wendy nods and kneels before Peter. She closes her eyes and the boy "thimbles" her quickly.
"Now, Mr. Pan, you shall stay here with me and grow up," Wendy states in a business-like tone. Peter stands up, does a flip in the air, and lands on the floor.
"I shall never grow up, Wendy. I am a boy forever," he refuses.
"All children must grow up," Wendy pleads.
"Not I, not I!" Peter repeats mockingly and starts for the window. Wendy slides off the bed and clutches his leg firmly.
"Please Peter, don't leave," she cries and brings him down to eye- level. She puts her hands on her shoulders to restrain him and kisses him, tears streaming down her cheeks. When she pulls away, Peter is older. He looks to be about sixteen. "You – you're..."
"Grown up?" Peter offers and Wendy stares at him in awe. "I must go back, Wendy. You don't have my 'kiss' anymore and you have forgotten me." Wendy lets go of him and he starts to float towards the window. Before she knows it, he is gone, and all she can see is a shooting star streaking across the sky. ~*~*~*~*
Wendy wakes up crying and she buries her face in her hands. Could Nibs and Michael be telling the truth? Can all this really mean something? She wants to believe that what her brothers said are all lies, but she cannot...she cannot.
Author's Note: Ooh, finally a little Peter and Wendy action (even if it was all just a dream!) Jeremy Sumpter is so cute as Peter Pan, isn't he? Whoa, bit obsessed here, LoL. Hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks to my reviewer! As always, the next chapter will be up sometime next week. Au revoir!
Chapter 8: Familiar Reveries
Peter is feeling quite awkward in the ladies' boutique. He waits near the door with Charlie, keeping his eyes to the flowered rug. The women that enter look at the boys suspiciously and steer clear of them.
"I cannot believe Mother brought us in here," Charlie whines. "This must be my punishment for calling Evelyn a - " Peter shakes his head warily.
"Don't say it, or the punishment will be far worse," he warns, glancing at a young lady opposite them. She giggles when Peter sees her and he smirks. His eyes return to the floor and he prays that the women will be done soon. Mrs. Malcolm walks out of the dressing room, Evelyn following close behind.
"I am convinced that this is the perfect dress," she proclaims. She steps aside and Peter peers up at the Evelyn. She looks very nice in her white gown and there are pearls sewn into the neckline. He smiles at her, but all Peter can think about is Wendy.
"This reminds me so much of a wedding gown," the girl sighs, indicating the dress. "With Peter in his suit, we look like husband and wife!" She laughs sheepishly, while Charlie opens his mouth in shock and Peter swallows nervously.
"You should learn to hold your tongue, girl," Mrs. Malcolm states. "Change into your regular clothes." Evelyn twists her fiery red hair around her finger and nods obediently. She disappears to the back of the store and Peter shifts uncomfortably. Mrs. Malcolm sticks her chin in the air, eyeing Peter disgracefully. "Your hair is unruly, indeed, Peter. Why don't you go and get it trimmed?"
Peter touches the mass of brown and gold curls. "I prefer it as it is, Mrs. Malcolm. I have had it this way for a long time." Mrs. Malcolm clucks and goes to help Evelyn. Charlie bolts out the door when his mother's back is turned.
"Come on Pete," he beckons. "Do you really want to be stuck here for another hour?" Peter shakes his head and follows his friend from the boutique.
****************************
Michael, Nibs, and Nana walk down the street, pushing past harried pedestrians. London is busy this Saturday afternoon. Nana carries Mrs. Darling's food list in her mouth and Michael tells her not to drop it. He sees the bank that his father works in and remembers getting in trouble for running in with Wendy and John. Wendy was trying to stop the letter carrier from delivering the teacher's note to their father and it ended up in a huge mess. Mr. Darling was not very happy with them.
"Michael, I need the list now," Nibs orders and Michael takes the paper from Nana. He hands it to his brother. "Stay right here with Nana," Nibs tells them. The dog whimpers and Michael leans against the wall, watching the people walking to and from work. He hears a loud laugh echo above the city sounds. It sounds much like Peter Pan's joyous crow and Michael looks around curiously. Nana hears it too because she starts to bark fiercely.
"Nana, stop," Michael commands, but she does not. Instead, Nana takes off into the crowd, leaving Michael behind. Nibs comes out with a bagful of groceries and looks around in confusion.
"Where's Nana?" Nibs asks angrily.
"She ran off! Come on, we have to find her!" Michael replies and they run off in search of their dog. The boys spot Nana on a street corner, growling ominously. She is waiting for a horse-drawn carriage to pass before she crosses to the other side. Michael grabs Nana's collar before she moves and stares across the street. Nibs catches up to him and they become silent.
"Bloody hell..." Nibs whispers. "Is that who I think it is?"
"Yes, it's Pan," Michael answers as they gape at the familiar young man striding down the sidewalk. He is talking to who they assume is his friend. Nana hates Peter with a vengeance. He took the children away, and she could not stop him. She wants to tear his shadow to shreds. She pulls Michael forward and he cries out in surprise.
"No Nana!" Nibs scowls and Peter vanishes into the crowd. "We have to tell the boys, Michael! We have to tell Wendy!"
The boys and dog run home, completely forgetting about the groceries. They scare Mrs. Darling half to death when they bolt in to the house and trip up the stairs.
"Boys what – you are back so early! Where is the food?" she questions.
"We...uh...forgot!" Nibs lies and pushes Michael up to the second floor. Michael darts in to the nursery, screaming "Pan's back!"
"What?" Tootles asks. He is doing his homework near the window and the Twins and Curly are playing pirates.
"Peter Pan! We saw him!" Nibs says, crumpling to the floor. He is trying so hard to catch his breath. The rest of the boys start to laugh.
"Peter doesn't fly in the daytime," Curly guffaws.
"He wasn't flying! He was dressed as a normal person and he looked like he grew up!" Michael yells. The nursery goes into an uproar.
Wendy appears in the doorway, appalled by her brothers' behavior. She folds her arms across her chest and her sky blue dress rustles slightly. She was knitting a pillow cover for Aunt Millicent as a test to see how well she sews, when she heard noises in the nursery. To tell you the truth, she is relieved to be interrupted from her work.
"What is all this commotion?" she demands. Michael turns to her, excitement in his eyes. "What has happened?"
"Nibs and I saw Peter Pan!" he announces. "He was walking near the bank and he did not look like himself."
"How so?" Wendy whispers, pretending to sound interested.
"He's grown up," Nibs says gleefully. "It is very odd because Peter Pan should stay young forever."
"You are not very convincing, Nibs. Why do you play these games with me? Shall I tell Mother about your silly lies?" Wendy advises them.
"He's not lying, Wendy. I heard him crow," Michael persists. All eyes are on the young woman, who is at a loss for words.
"Peter Pan...he is only a story, like Cinderella," Wendy falters.
"What about the acorn and who we saw?" Nibs mutters. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?" He is sincere when he says this and Wendy grows annoyed.
"I do not recall any acorn."
"It is Peter's 'kiss'. He gave it to you right here in the nursery. It saved you in Neverland," Tootles adds, closing his mathematics notebook. "It's what Nibs returned to you this morning."
"That was an acorn?!" Wendy sputters. Nibs nods and she backs out of the nursery, shaking her head in disappointment. "I cannot speak about this further. This is nonsense." She goes to her room and closes the door gently. Wendy sits in a chair and struggles to finish the pillow cover. She finds she cannot think straight and she places her work on the floor. "What's the use?" she murmurs and curls up on her bed. Before she knows it, she is fast asleep, dreaming of someone she thought she had forgotten.
~*~*~*~*~Wendy is twelve again, and she is in the nursery. The window is wide open and the bars are gone. The Lost Boys are not there either, except for her two brothers. John and Michael are asleep in their beds, but Wendy is wide-awake. It is so quiet that she can hear her own heart beating quickly. She peeks out from underneath the covers at the window and fresh snow. She throws them off and sits up.
"Please come," she calls and the stars twinkle bright outside. He appears in a blink of an eye at the window. His cunning smile is contagious and Wendy laughs. "You have returned, boy," she says, leaning forward.
"Yes, Wendy-lady, I've come back," he crows as he jumps into the nursery. He perches on the end of the bed and cocks his head at Wendy. She sits cross-legged in front of him and looks into those captivating eyes. They twinkle like the stars above and Wendy touches the acorn around her neck.
"I'd very much like a 'thimble'," she suggests, blushing deeply.
"Like the one you gave me on the Jolly Roger?" he responds, a thoughtful expression on his face. Wendy nods and kneels before Peter. She closes her eyes and the boy "thimbles" her quickly.
"Now, Mr. Pan, you shall stay here with me and grow up," Wendy states in a business-like tone. Peter stands up, does a flip in the air, and lands on the floor.
"I shall never grow up, Wendy. I am a boy forever," he refuses.
"All children must grow up," Wendy pleads.
"Not I, not I!" Peter repeats mockingly and starts for the window. Wendy slides off the bed and clutches his leg firmly.
"Please Peter, don't leave," she cries and brings him down to eye- level. She puts her hands on her shoulders to restrain him and kisses him, tears streaming down her cheeks. When she pulls away, Peter is older. He looks to be about sixteen. "You – you're..."
"Grown up?" Peter offers and Wendy stares at him in awe. "I must go back, Wendy. You don't have my 'kiss' anymore and you have forgotten me." Wendy lets go of him and he starts to float towards the window. Before she knows it, he is gone, and all she can see is a shooting star streaking across the sky. ~*~*~*~*
Wendy wakes up crying and she buries her face in her hands. Could Nibs and Michael be telling the truth? Can all this really mean something? She wants to believe that what her brothers said are all lies, but she cannot...she cannot.
Author's Note: Ooh, finally a little Peter and Wendy action (even if it was all just a dream!) Jeremy Sumpter is so cute as Peter Pan, isn't he? Whoa, bit obsessed here, LoL. Hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks to my reviewer! As always, the next chapter will be up sometime next week. Au revoir!